Angels & Demons
by Lathgertha
Summary: When an assassin captures four cardinals and threatens to kill them one at a time, each hour, Sara must help symbolist Robert Langdon preventing a terrorist act, thereby also discovering things about her past. Follows the plot of the 2009 movie. Olivetti/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Angels & Demons or any of its characters!

**A/N:** Before you start reading: I'd like to apologise for my Italian! I did have lessons once, but a very long time ago and I'm afraid it's a bit rusty and various translation sites had to help me out. If any natives are reading this story and (most likely) find mistakes: I'm so so sorry.

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><p><em>The room was full of darkness and a burning smell tickled her nose, which automatically wrinkled. Disgusting. She shuddered as a cool breeze swiped her skin and her heart started to race as a sudden fear overtook her mind. Everything within her told her to run, as fast as she could, but she couldn't move. Something was holding her back. As she looked down on her body, she noticed that her clothes were torn, but there were no chains that could possibly keep her from moving. Every passing second the fear grew stronger. Then a voice sounded in the distance. She couldn't make out what exactly the voice was trying to say, but it definitely belonged to a man. Tears started to fall down her cheeks and she felt like the fear and darkness would squash her at any second.<em>

_"Dad!", someone shouted, as the person finally was close enough that she could make out his silhouette. Startled she looked around, until she realised that it had indeed been her shouting for her father. But why? She never knew him; didn't know what he looked like or who he was. In the next second someone abruptly grabbed her from behind, pulling her deeper and deeper into the darkness. The last thing she saw was a flame and a sculpture that looked like an angel in the far distance, before the darkness consumed her._

The young woman woke with a start. Her breathing still fast and unsteady as she sat up on the bed. Her right hand automatically stroked through her brown waves. A quick glance at the clock told her that she still had half an hour before she had to get up for work. Sighing she stood and opened the curtains to let the morning sunlight into the huge bedroom. She crossed her arms in front of her body and tried to enjoy the beautiful view of the rising sun behind the huge basilica of St. Peter. It hadn't been the first time that she had dreamed the exact dream. It was always darkness, flames, an angel and her father. Then someone would grab her from behind, pull her into the darkness and sometimes she would even wake with a scream. She shuddered at these images, whose meanings she couldn't possibly fathom. Again her eyes fixed onto the basilica of St. Peter and somehow she felt herself relax. Its beauty didn't give away any of the grief that was currently spreading through the streets. She had never been a deeply spiritual person, although her mother had been a Catholic through and through and had tried to confer this lifestyle to her daughter. In this sense she took after her father, at least her mother had always told her so. Her father. Never before in her lifetime had she dreamed of her father, never before did the void he left feel so huge. Not knowing who or where he was right now and if she ever got to meet him hadn't really bothered her until now. Intuitively her other hand touched her engagement ring. Maybe her engagement had brought up these feelings that she had hidden deep within her for so long. After all… who would walk her up the aisle?

"Buongiorno amore", his husky voice sounded from the bed and she turned back to the handsome man still covered by the white duvet. A slight smile graced her pink lips and she walked back to the bed, sitting down beside him. "Morning", she responded before she leaned in to kiss him, but it didn't sound as enthusiastic as she intended. Of course he instantly caught the hesitant tone in her voice and furled his eyebrows. "Stai bene?"  
>Slowly she nodded. "Sì, sì. Sto bene. Ho avuto un brutto sogno…. ancora una volta…" He sighed and pulled her closer to him.<p>

Both of them entered the headquarters of the _Corpo della Gendarmeria dello Stato della Città del Vaticano _about an hour later. As soon as they set foot into the building, their boss – Dr. Domenico Giano – walked towards them. By the look on his face she instantly augured ill. "Buongiorno", they greeted unison, but he only replied: "Sara, il mio ufficio, subito", thereby pointing at the young woman, before he went on.

'Oh just great', she thought. Ever since she started to work here Giani had had a down on her and it felt like he was just waiting for a good reason to finally get rid of her. Especially in the Vatican the _Gendarmeria _was a job dominated by men and although there was no law prohibiting women as police officers working in the worlds smallest state, Giani was strictly against the idea.

Sara gave her partner a knowing look, before she followed her boss into his office. The big wooden desk was set in front of the window, from which one had a wonderful view over Vatican City. A wooden bookshelf filled with old books stood on the right wall. She was dying to browse through them but she knew that that was never going to happen.

"Siediti", he said and pulled her out of her thoughts. Sara did as she was told and looked at him anticipated. "Devi volare negli Stati Uniti. New York per essere esattamente." The young woman raised her eyebrows. "Perchè?"

"Abbiamo bisongo di un agente special in occasione della riunione delle Nazioni Unite." And he needed _her _to do that? Couldn't he send someone else? "Quando tempe ci si mette?", she wanted to know.

"Per tre gionri, forse. Il tuo elicottero parte questa sera."

Oh okay. Great. He wanted her to fly tonight and it sounded like everything was already settled. He didn't ask her to go, he ordered her to, although he had people who were more experienced with such debates, such as Vincenzi for example… "Ma per quanto riguarda il Conclave?" As soon as she had finished the question it hit her. That's why he wanted her gone. Conclave. A few days ago the news of the pope's death sent a wave of sadness over the earth, especially the Vatican. Conclave would start tomorrow and the arrival of its members as well as the ceremony required as much security as possible. Security levels would be doubled and Giani needed everyone he could get, except _her._

"Ci sono abbastanza uomini di altri", he simply answered her question. "La signora Moretti ha I tickets e ogni ulteriore informazione si ha bisogno", he added not giving her any breath to start a discussion. "Grazie", she then said and stood, leaving the room with mixed feelings. A part of her still couldn't believe his way of thinking. Hadn't she proved more than once that he could trust her? The young woman came to a halt in front of Giani's secretary. "Giani ha detto hai qualcosa per me?" The blonde woman in front of her nodded and then handed her the documents. Sara thanked her and then made her way to her office. As she entered her partner sat at his desk, fighting with the computer as always. Sara smiled slightly as the Italian uttered any kind of swearwords he could think of. "Sai che non aiuta se tu gridi a questo", she said and sat down on her chair. She put the documents down, supported her elbows on the desk and placed her head in her palms. "Lo so", he sighed and then turned his attention to the woman. "Che cosa voleva?"

"Egli vuole liberarsi di me… letteralmente…"

Her partner furrowed his eyebrows. "Cosa significa…?"

"Conclave. Lui non mi vuole qui turante esso. Cosi si è sbarazzato di me… devo volare a New York. Questa sera. Per tre giorni, forse…"

"Non credo…"

"Of course. Why would he send me then?", she wanted to know and it sounded more annoyed than she intended to. "This is so ridiculous", she added in a more severe tone. Whenever she had to say what she was thinking, or when she was angry, sad, etc. she always fell back into English. It was her second mother tongue after all. Her mother – Chiara Salvatore – was Italian by birth, moved to America to study and met Sara's father at the university. That's basically all she knew about her father. To be honest, she didn't even know if he knew that she existed. Chiara moved back to Italy when Sara was still a baby. Like her mother, Sara went to America to study, but she could never imagine living her life there. So after finishing her qualification Sara moved back to Italy. 'Til this day Sara wondered why Giani recruited her in the first place when he so disliked the thought of it. Because Giani distrusted her so much he allocated her a partner – Ernesto Olivetti. Little did he know that after a few years they would be more than just partners. For Giani another reason to have her on arms length. Their relationship had no impact on their work so he had nothing that he could use against them.

Ernesto now came towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders to calm her. "Fiducia", he said and Sara had to laugh. "Yeah… no, he doesn't trust me at all."


	2. Chapter 2

It had been his tenth round, as he suddenly took notice of a clacking sound caused by heels on tiles. The around fifty year old man didn't stop swimming but rather watched the young woman from the corner of his eye as she made her way to the end of the pool. He stopped as he reached her, took off his goggles and supported himself on the edge of the pool. "A swim might help your jet leg", he said as he surveyed her for a moment. Sara looked at him confused. "I beg your pardon?"

"You got bags under your eyes. It's 5 in the morning and you're from the Vatican." Even more confused she raised her eyebrows. Tired wasn't even beginning to describe how she felt at the moment. Two days had passed since she had arrived in New York. Two days filled with endless boring discussions at the U.N. headquarters. Oh how she hated bureaucracy. It just wasn't her kind of thing. But then Ernesto had called her in the middle of the night, telling her news that shocked her to the very core. "Crossed keys under the triregnum", the man explained and pulled her out of her thoughts. Sara looked at her black briefcase and then turned her attention back to the man in front of her as he said: "It's a papal symbol."

Now she noticed the irritated look on his face. Sara instantly thought that he was judging her, but she was too tired to give in to that now so she simply stated: "Sara Salvatore. Corpo della Gendarmeria Vaticano." Again the startled look in his eyes as she said her name, surprised her, but she chose to ignore it.

"Vatican police? I was expecting another letter", he said. Now it was her turn to look startled. "My request for access to your archives. Shouldn't you be in Rome? A kind of busy time for you guys, isn't it?"

"In fact, I was in New York. Detailed to the U.N. I received a phone call in the middle of the night: find Professor Robert Langdon. A matter of great urgency", Sara explained and opened her briefcase. She then showed him the piece of paper Ernesto sent her. "They said to show you this."

His eyes widened as they fixed onto the paper. Sara had guessed that as soon as he saw the symbols he'd immediately be as keen as mustard. She tried to suppress a grin as he climbed out of the pool and told her to wait outside while he changed. The indoor aquatic centre was located at campus so they weren't far from his office. Sara was casually leaning against the wall, enjoying the warm rays of the Massachusetts sunshine and trying not to fall asleep, as Robert came back to her. With his hand he gestured her to follow him. "You're American?", he wanted to know. "You speak without Italian accent."

Sara smiled slightly. "Half American heritage, yes. I also studied here in America, which would explain my accent, but my home is Italy." Robert nodded before she turned the subject back to the main point. "The Illuminati?", Sara asked, handing him the paper once more. "They disappeared hundreds of years ago."

"Did they? Look at that again. It's an ambigram. It's the same image forward and backward. Now, that's common for a symbol like a yin and yang or a swastika… but that's a word. That Illuminati ambigramtic symbol has been considered a myth for 400 years. Supposedly in the sixteenth century some artist created it as a tribute to Galileo's love for symmetry. It was only gonna be revealed when the Illuminati had amassed enough power to resurface and carry out their final goal. I wrote a book about it… Which is why you're here…?"

"_The Art of the Illuminati_ by Robert Langdon", Sara stated. Yes, she had done a little research about him on the way here.

"Part one. Haven't been able to finish part two because I'm not allowed access to your archives."

Sara sighed. Well, technically she had nothing to do with the Swiss Guard and their rules. About two minutes later they had arrived at his office. It was beautifully decorated and filled with old books. Robert took one out and quickly opened a page, on which various ambigrams where printed. "It's remarkable. Singular. Someone is trying to make you believe the Illuminati themselves have returned to Rome. Right after the death of a pope."

Sara lowered her head before she spoke. "Four cardinals were kidnapped from inside the Vatican sometimes between three and five am this morning. Shortly afterward that document was sent to the Office of the Swiss Guard along with the threat the cardinals will be publicly executed one per hour, beginning at 8pm tonight in Rome."

Robert listened carefully and Sara noticed a flash of shock in his eyes before he spoke again: "Conclave…"

"Was to begin today. We've postponed its start for a few hours, a story of illness. There are no suspicions, yet."

"What do you want from me?", he then wanted to know.

"These criminals who sent this ambigram meant it as a taunt, a provocation. But Captain Olivetti thinks if you can use it to learn their identity perhaps we can stop this abomination."

"Why me?"

Sara sighed. "Your expertise… your erudition… Your recent involvements with certain Church… shall we say mysteries?" Yes, she had heard about the murder in Paris' most famous museum and the new clues found in Da Vinci paintings, which should have never been discovered.

"I wasn't under the impression that episode had endeared me to the Vatican."

The young woman had to smile slightly. "Oh it didn't. But it did make you… formidable. A Vatican jet is standing by 20 minutes form here. Will you come with me?"

Robert looked away, clearly deeply in thought and Sara continued: "Professor Langdon, you've spent your life searching for symbols like the one you now hold in your hand. How much longer are we going to pretend you've not already decided to come?" He didn't even have to answer. The look in his eyes told her that she had hit the right spot. So she took out her BlackBerry and informed the pilot that they were on their way.


	3. Chapter 3

**GoldenDrqgonLol: **Thank you for your nice comment, I really appreciate it!

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><p>"Ci siamo quasi. Abbiamo appena attraversato il confine in Italia", Sara informed Ernesto on the phone. They had been in the air for a few hours now and were just crossing the border to Italy. She had tried to get some rest, but it was pointless. Her body would just not allow her to relax. "If the Illuminati have returned and are in Rome, we will hunt them down and kill them", she then said as she had hung up again, surprising herself with it. "The Illuminati did not become violent until the 17th century. Their name means <em>the enlightened ones. <em>They were physicists and mathematicians, astronomers. They were concerned with the Church's inaccurate teaching and were dedicated to scientific truth. But the Vatican didn't like that. So the Church began to, how did you say it? Oh, hunt them down and kill them. Drove them underground. Into a secret society", Robert countered.

Sara nodded slightly, turning her attention on the city below them again. They had just reached Rome. The sun was rising behind the Colosseum, as the helicopter made it's way towards Vatican City. Ernesto had sent a car to pick them up from the heliport. The heliport and the car were the only options one had to leave Vatican City. There was no airport, just a train station, but that was used only for goods and not passenger transportation. As her tired limbs hit the comfortable leather seats of the black Lancia Delta, she finally felt herself relax a bit. 'I'm so ready for bed', she thought to herself, but there were more important matters at hand right now. Just as they stepped out of the car, the Capitano came up to greet them. "Professor Langdon. Welcome to Vatican City", he said and briefly shook the American's hand. "Ernesto Olivetti, inspector general of the Vatican police force."

"My pleasure", Robert answered.

Ernesto gave Sara a warm smile, which she happily returned, before they started to head inside. "This way please", Ernesto gestured. "We'll meet in the headquarters of the Swiss Guard."

"I thought you were Swiss Guard…?"

Ernesto shot him a surprised look and Sara had to supress a laugh. "No. La Gendarmeria. We are responsible for everything inside the Vatican walls with the exception of the security of His Holiness and the Apostolic Palace. _That _is Swiss Guard. The Roman carabinieri are here as well in an advisory capacity."

"So, jurisdictionally this is…"

"A Goddamn nightmare", Ernesto responded.

As they made their way through the corridor, Sara's heels made those clacking sound on the cobbles and in that moment she wished she had worn flats. Not because of the sound, but because they were starting to kill her.

"Oh yes, Pope Pius IX's great castration", Robert said as they passed a few statues. Swiss Guard's stood along the line and Sara always respected them. She could not imagine how hard it must be to stand in the same spot for a long time, not being allowed to move an inch. "I beg your pardon?", Ernesto interposed.

"1856, Pope Pius IX felt the male form would inspire lust. So he took a hammer and chisel and unmanned hundreds of these statues", Robert explained.

"The plaster fig leaves were added later", Sara added, more to herself than anything, but both men looked at her in surprise. Sara shrugged. 'What? Can't I be nerdy?', she added in her thoughts.

"Are you anti-Catholic, Professor Langdon?", Ernesto then wanted to know.

"No. I'm anti-vandalism", Robert explained the the Capitano nodded.

"I urge you to guard your tone here. The Swiss Guard is a calling, not a profession and it encourages a certain zealotry. Commander Richter, the head of the Guard is a deeply spiritual man and he was close to the late pope. Understood?"

"Look, I don't study symbols because I consider them unimportant. Ceremony, traditions, it's how we mark you lives. I just… hope I can help."

"So do I. You were my idea", Ernesto smiled slightly and then opened the door to the headquarters of the Guard. He briefly indicated the Professor to sit down on one of the chairs – "Wait here, please" – before Sara and him made their way to the Commander. He didn't look pleased at all. Not even as they informed them that Langdon was here. Richter wasn't convinced that the Professor would be able to help them in the matter, plus he didn't approve of the man's recent involvements with the Church. "What a relief, the symbolist is here", he said disdainful, before he turned his attention to the woman sitting beside Robert. "This way please Miss Vetra." Without another look at Robert he made his way into his office, followed by Vetra, Sara, Ernesto and Robert.

"The canister was stolen from our lab around noon yesterday. The intruder killed my research partner, Silvano Bentivolgio and multilated him in order to bypass security. We use retinal scanners. They cut out his eye", she explained.

"Is that your stolen canister, Miss Vetra?", Richter asked and pointed at a computer screen. "Where is that camera number 86?"

"It's wireless. It too was stolen. It could be anywhere inside the Vatican", Ernesto explained.

"That canister contains an extremely combustible substance. Called antimatter. We need to locate it immediately or evacuate Vatican City."

"I'm quite familiar with incendiaries, Miss Vetra. I've never heard of antimatter being used as such…", Richter stated.

"Well, it's never been generated in significant quantities before. It's a way of studying the origin of the universe to try to isolate what some people call the God particle. But there are implications for energy research…"

Richter raised his eyebrows. "The God particle?"

"What we call it isn't important", Vittoria sighed. "It's what gives all matter mass. The thing without which we could not exist."

"You're talking about _the _moment of creation", Robert interposed and she nodded. "Yes. In a way, I am. The antimatter is suspended there, in an airtight nanocomposite shell electromagnets in each end, but if it were to fall out of suspension and come in contact with matter say, the bottom of the canister, the two opposing forces would annihilate one another violently."

"And what might cause it to fall out of suspension?"

"The battery going dead. Which it will, just before midnight."

"What kind of annihilation?", Sara wanted to know. "How violent?"

"A cataclysmic event. A blinding exposing equivalent to about five kilotons", Vittoria answered in such a threatening voice that it sent chills down Sara's spine.

"Vatican City will be consumed by light", Robert said more to himself than anyone else, but Richter picked it up. "Those are the exact words the kidnapper used."

_We will destroy your four pillars. We will brand your preferiti and sacrifice them on the alters of science, then bring your church down upon you. Vatican City will be consumed by light. A shining star at the end of the Path of Illumination._

The voice of the kidnapper sounded through the room after Richter had started the video that was sent to the office this morning. His deep accent gave away that he was neither American nor Italian. Sara shuddered as the camera went along the imprisoned cardinals. Even though they clung to their cross necklaces, their fear and distress was still clearly visible in their eyes. Ernesto's hand found its way – unnoticed by the others – onto her under warm and she felt herself relax a little bit.

"It's the ancient Illuminati threat", Robert stated. "Destruction of Vatican City through light. Four pillars, there's your kidnapped cardinals. You didn't tell me they were the preferiti, the favourites to be named the next pope", he said, looking at Sara. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, too tired for an argument, but before she could say anything Robert added: "Play it again."

_We will destroy your four pillars. We will brand your preferiti…_

"Wait, stop it. Stop it… Brand them. That's another Illuminati legend. This one says that there is a set of five brands… each one an ambigram. The first four are the fundamental elements of science: Earth, air, fire and water. The fifth, it's a mystery… Maybe it's this", Robert suggested and handed Sara the piece of paper, on which the ambigram was printed on. "He said they'd be killed publicly", Richter interposed.

"Yes. Revenge for la purga…"

Richter shot him a confused look. "La purga?"

"Oh jeez. You guys don't even read your own history, do you? 1688, the Church kidnapped four Illuminati scientists and branded each one of them on the chest with the symbol of the cross to purge them of their sins, and they executed them. Threw their bodies into the street as a warning to others to stop questioning Church rulings on scientific matters. They radicalized them. The purge created a darker, more violent Illuminati one bent on retribution. Look how they intended to finally get it: Using antimatter, technology, to destroy the Church. Science obliterates religion. Is there any more?"

_… and sacrifice them on the alters of science, then bring your church down upon you. Vatican City will be consumed by light. A shining star at the end of the Path of Illumination._

"Path of Illumination…" Robert thought for a second, before he addressed Richter once more. "I need access to the Vatican archives." But Richter simply laughed.

"Professor, I don't think this is the appropriate moment…", Ernesto suggested.

"Your petition has been denied seven times", Richter finally interposed.

"No, no. This has nothing to do with my work. The Path of Illumination is a hidden trail that leads to the Church of the Illumination the place where the Illuminati would meet in secret. If I can find the segno, the sign that marks the beginning of that path, the four churches along it may be where he intends to murder your cardinals. One every hour at 8, 9, 10 and 11. Then the device explodes at midnight. If we can figure out the first church and get there before he does maybe we can stop it. But I can't find the start of the path until I get into the archives."

"Even if I wanted to help you, access to the archives is only by written decree by the curator and the Board of Vatican Librarians", Richter explained.

"Or… by papal mandate."

"Yes, but as you no doubt have heard, the Holy Father is dead."

"What about il camerlengo?"

"The camerlengo is just a priest here, the former pope's chamberlain."

"Doesn't the power of the Holy Seat rest in him during tempe sede vacante?"

Richter was taken aback for a second and shot him an askant look. Sara had to suppress a laugh. She hadn't seen Richter being out of speech ever before and it was a sight she rather enjoyed.

"Fellas, you called me."

This man clearly knew what he was talking about and even though she didn't know him, she somehow trusted him and knew that he could help them. Richter nodded slightly and looked a bit crestfallen.


End file.
